Here’s when Charlotte could rule on Wells Fargo plan to add signs on uptown tower
Wells Fargo’s plan to add another large-scale sign to Charlotte’s skyline took a step forward Tuesday with little fanfare.
The Charlotte City Council held a public hearing on the bank’s rezoning petition Tuesday. No one spoke in opposition to the plan at the hearing, and city staff told council members they’re willing to recommend the petition barring some “technical revisions related to site and building design.”
Following Tuesday’s public hearing, the petition will go to the city’s Zoning Committee for review. The City Council will then vote on a final decision, possibly as soon as their next zoning meeting, scheduled for Feb. 19.
The petition calls for the addition of two 1,880-square foot signs to the bank’s building at 550 S. Tryon St., known to many as the former Duke Energy building. The skyscraper is among the tallest in Charlotte — known for its handlebar roof and LED light show — and is adjacent to the Levine Center for the Arts.
“The architecture and design ... provides a consistent branding placement opportunity with clear views of the building and Wells Fargo signage,” Wells Fargo spokesman Josh Dunn previously told the Charlotte Observer. “We are proud to elevate the Wells Fargo brand and build awareness for our company through building signage, joining numerous other major companies with a presence in Uptown Charlotte.”
The signs would be “architecturally consistent with the building,” and the lettering of the signs would be 14 feet tall, the same as the letters on the Truist Center sign, Wells Fargo representative Anthony Fox said at Tuesday’s meeting.
That Truist sign, on top of the bank’s uptown headquarters at the former Hearst Tower, drew opposition when it was proposed in 2020, with the building’s architect calling it vandalism and a petition pleading to take it down.
But no one spoke out in opposition to the Wells Fargo sign at Tuesday’s meeting, and Fox said no one showed up to a community meeting about the plan and that the team “also received no written opposition to the petition.”
“I know it’s rare that we don’t have any opposition on this,” at-large Council member Dimple Ajmera said.
District 2 Council member Malcolm Graham, whose district includes the building in question, said he’s met with the Wells Fargo team twice about their plan and expects to vote in favor of it.
“It kind of fits right on there,” he said of the proposal.
Asked about what kind of parameters are in place for signage in uptown, planning staff member Dave Pettine said the city has asked “for some clarification on the type of letters” will be used but that the lettering and lighting would likely be similar to existing signage, such as the Honeywell building.
This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 9:36 PM.
